Shot in the Dark
by chalaess
Summary: I actually have no clue why that's the title. I just felt like writing it. Anyway, after a confrontation with Morelli in a bar, Ranger is forced to reevaluate his and Stephanie's relationship. Ranger's POV
1. No Guns!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sad times.

I apologize in advance for any times the characters are OOC. And also for the shortness of this story, cause I'm pretty sure it'll be shortish.

**This whole fanfic is from Ranger's POV**

Chapter 1

I walked into the bar where my skip was last seen. I stood in the doorway for a moment, letting my eyes adjust. Just as I spotted my skip and took a step towards him, someone else spotted me. Someone I definitely wasn't excited to see.

Morelli got up off the barstool he was sitting on and walked towards me. He was staggering slightly; enough that I knew he was drunk, but not so much that he was going to fall down. He glared at me as he reached me. "Manoso. What are you doing here?" His voice was loud and everyone, including my skip, was now staring at me. I figured that telling him my reason for being here wouldn't be a good plan, so I kept silent. I think he sort of expected that, because he just forged on ahead, his words slurring slightly. "Wanna know what I'm doing here? I'm drinking away my pain." He laughed, as though it was funny, yet the laugh sounded forced. "Wanna know why I'm in pain?" Not really, but he was sort of on a roll, with his drunken rambling, so I figured trying to stop him was more trouble than it was worth. I just assumed what I hoped was an interested look, although my attention was almost completely on my skip. "Cause Stephanie dumped me." Ok, now he _actually_ had my attention. Sort of. But at the same time, this wasn't anything new, so I wasn't all that shocked. Frankly, I couldn't see why he was 'in pain.' If he sat around a few days, she'd go back to him. She always does. "For real this time. It's because of her stupid job. She says I'm not accepting enough. That I don't actually love her, or I wouldn't want to change her. Can you believe that crap?" Actually, I could, but I figured agreeing with Stephanie wouldn't get to the point of this little rant any sooner. I really wasn't sure why I was listening to it and didn't just go grab my skip. "Of course, you're not much better. I mean, you obviously only want her for sex." What? I snapped my attention back to him. I definitely wasn't following his train of thought.

"What?"

Morelli glared at me. "You! You're the actual reason she dumped me. She didn't say it, but I know it's true. Whenever she blows up a car, you're there. When I remind her that she shouldn't be a bounty hunter, she says I'm not supportive. And she doesn't say it, but I know she's thinking 'not like Ranger is.' And I'm tired of being compared to you anytime I say anything. Because, for whatever reason, you always come out on top. So you know what? You win! I give up. She's yours." He turned back to the bar and walked away from me. I just stood there, stunned for a moment.

Then, I was snapped out of it because my skip suddenly made the connection between Stephanie, bounty hunter, and me, and figured out who I was. He swore, loudly and fluently, and then pulled out a gun, fired at me once, and then ran. He missed me completely (and luckily, missed everyone else as well) so the bullet just imbedded itself in the door frame. I ran after him, pushing through the screaming people. I registered faintly that Morelli was laughing (apparently, the sight of me getting shot at was hilarious, or something), but ignored it. Figuring it would part the crowd a lot faster, I pulled out my gun. Sure enough, everyone parted, and the screams upped a little. I ran through the pathway created by the sight of my gun.

Behind me, Morelli yelled. "Hey! No guns!" Apparently, this didn't apply to him, however, as, when I glanced back briefly, he was pulling out his gun and chasing me.

This might have been funny, if it were someone else, but at the moment, the idea of being chased by a drunk cop who had a gun and was convinced that I'd stolen his girlfriend wasn't tempting me to laugh. I decided to ignore Morelli and followed my skip out the back door.

I heard the door open again behind me, and Morelli yelled again. "Stop! Police!" I ignored him completely. I was halfway through the alley behind the bar when Morelli fired a shot. Due to his drunken state, it missed completely. And, according to the small grunt of pain, followed by a thump, it hit my skip. I quickly reached my skip and looked down at him. Morelli had shot him in the leg. He was lying on the ground, tears running down his face (though he didn't make any noise), clutching his leg, and glaring at me.

I heard Morelli come up behind me. There was silence for a moment, then Morelli spoke. "Uh..." He looked at me, then the skip. "It wasn't me." I raised an eyebrow; that was a very Stephanie-like reaction. Not quite 'It's not my fault' but close.He ignored my expression, turned, and went back into the bar. I cuffed my skip, pulled him to his feet (or rather, to his foot, since he didn't want to put weight on the wounded leg. Understandable, I suppose.) and then helped him hop towards my truck. I loaded him into the back and drove to the police station, where I helped him hop in.

As I went to get my body reciept, the desk clerk looked at my skip, then at me. "How'd he get shot?"

I wasn't sure if I should say it was Morelli or not. I hated the man, but I wasn't sure Stephanie would be happy if he went to jail. Despite the fact that she'd dumped him, apparently for real this time, I knew she still liked him. Maybe as just a friend, but still, she wouldn't be too happy if I sent her friend to jail. "Some drunk guy at the bar pulled a gun."

My skip spoke up from the bench where he was seated. "It was some cop."

The desk clerk raised an eyebrow and looked at me, waiting for an explanation. I sighed. Whatever, hopefully Stephanie wouldn't care. "It was Morelli. He was drunk and shot him by accident." I saw that she'd finished writing the body reciept, so I leaned over and grabbed it, then walked out before she could ask any more questions.

I got into my truck and drove towards 'the Batcave.' It was late, and I could drop off the body reciept later. For now, I had a lot to think about.

A/N: Ok, sorry for two things. Firstly, that it is so ridiculously short. Second, that everyone is sort of out of character in this chapter. Probably, they won't be as bad later. I hope. Anyway, I don't think Morelli would ever actually get super drink, yell at Ranger in a bar, and then shoot Ranger in the back, but it was fun to write…so…yeah. Anyway, please review.


	2. Emily's Suggestion

Disclaimer: I own no one and nothing. Except the guy who got shot in the first chapter. And the guy who will get shot in the third (aren't you curious?).

Chapter 2

I sat in 'the Batcave', thinking. First off, were Morelli and Stephanie really broken up? Because of their relationship, I've never really done anything. Sure, I've kissed her, and we'd spent one night together, but nothing long term. The second question, though, was this: even if they _were_ broken up, would Stephanie feel guilty if I kissed her? Whenever we kiss, she always pulls back and says she can't do it because she feels guilty about Morelli. Since she'd dumped him, would she let me kiss her?

And now, the third, and most important question: did she even want me? I knew the answer, on a physical level. That was a very obvious 'yes!' But _I _wanted more than just sex. I couldn't just come out and ask her, though. If the answer wasn't yes, not only would it destroy any hope I had, it would also make it so I couldn't kiss her. Because I couldn't kiss her knowing she only wanted my body, when I wanted so much more.

As I thought about it, I guessed this whole problem was my fault. After all, I'd had plenty of opportunities to tell her I loved her, but I always chicken out. Like when I added 'in my own way' after telling her I loved her. What was that supposed to mean? Really, who could blame her if she didn't want anything to do with me beyond the physical level? I'd done so many stupid things since I met her. Sending her back to Morelli was probably my dumbest move.

I looked up as I heard someone come in. It was Tank. He, Bobby, and Lester, lived with me. The Batcave was pretty big, and they were my best friends, so it wasn't weird having them all here. It was annoying at times, however. I was in the living room, and now wished I'd gone to my room to think, because Tank gave me a curious look and sat down on the loveseat, which was at a ninety degree angle to the couch I was on. He looked at me.

"So, what's up?"

I looked at him, not sure I wanted to say anything, then deciding I might as well. He was married (which made me more grateful that the house was huge. It would have been strange living in a small house, especially since his wife, Emily, was expecting twins. I probably would have kicked him out by now if the house wasn't huge) so hopefully he'd have insight into the fairer sex.

"Stephanie and Morelli broke up. For real." I didn't need to explain. Even if I was able to hide most of my emotions, Tank, Bobby, and Lester knew me too well.

Tank was silent for a moment, thinking. "So, what're you going to do?"

I shrugged. "What should I do? I've been a complete idiot."

Tank grinned. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees that." I glared at him, which only made his grin broaden. He was quiet again and I could see that now he was trying to think of a serious answer to my question. As he was thinking, Emily walked in. She looked at me, then at Tank, who was looking pensive, and then she walked in all the way and sat down next to Tank. Tank wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him.

"So, what's the dilemma? Someone get shot?" I wasn't sure I wanted Emily involved in this too, since she'd probably give some sappy suggestion that I'd have no intention of following through on.

The decision was taken out of my hands, however, as Tank spoke. "Stephanie and Morelli broke up. For real. And Ric is a complete and utter idiot, so he's trying to figure out what to do."

As expected, Emily's suggestion had no chance of being used. "Well, what you should do, is buy a dozen roses and then go over to her apartment. And you should apologize and pour out your soul and say you're a complete idiot. Then you should get down on one knee and beg for her forgiveness and say that if she'll marry you, you'll spend your whole life trying to make up for it. And then, of course, she'll say yes, and you can get up and kiss her." Her expression thus far was one that, in my experience, is only ever seen on a woman when they are talking about this kind of super-romantic fluff. Now it suddenly turned stern. "And not a mauling, 'I'm going to ravish you and let's have sex now' kiss. It has to be a totally loving 'I love you, and not just for your body' kind of kiss. And then, after you kiss her, you can sweep her up into your arms, carry her into the bedroom and..." she waved a hand in the general vicinity of my body, "do your thing."

As she watched me expectantly, there was complete and utter silence for a second, then Tank chuckled and kissed her on the lips. "I love you, honey, but you think up very strange things. Do you think there's even the slightest chance Ric will ever do that?"

Emily looked disgruntled. "Unfortunately, no. But, we've already established that he's an idiot. He needs to stop doing what he's done up until now. If his actions so far were good, we wouldn't have this problem. So, he has to do something dramatic and sweet. In fact, he should maybe do it in a public place instead of her apartment. The more people he's willing to risk his bad-ass reputation in front of, the more meaningful it'll be." Tank was about to protest again, but she interrupted. "I'm a woman. I know what will work on a woman. If he wants to woo a man, then he should use whatever stupid suggestion I'm sure you'll say in a bit. But I'm just saying, that if he were to come and do all that to _me_, I'd say yes."

I could see Tank's arm tighten around her. "No you wouldn't."

She turned her attention to him. "You know what I mean. If _you_ did it, I'd say yes."

Tank rolled his eyes (something he made sure never to do around Stephanie, but which I think she'd laugh if she saw) "Yeah, but you said yes _without_ me saying that, so there's no point in it."

"Yeah, but Ric has been such an idiot that he'll need all the help he can get. So, accepting the help of another woman is a wise choice. My tactic is pretty much guaranteed to work."

Just as Tank was getting ready to respond, my cell phone rang. I answered.

"Yo." No one replied, but suddenly there was a banging sound. Not as though something on the other side of the line had fallen, but as though the phone had hit the ground. Seconds later, there was a muffled sob.

"Ranger!" I could hear Stephanie's voice, but it sounded like it was far away from the phone. The sound of my name being called was quickly followed by a whimper and then a man's voice that I didn't recognize.

"He can't hear you, sweet heart. No one can help you, it's just you and me." I wouldn't count on that, buddy.

Rage filled me and I got up off the couch. I covered the mouthpiece, though I kept the earpiece to my ear, and spoke to Tank. "Call 911. Send them to Stephanie's apartment. I have to go." Tank nodded. Emily looked stricken. Not waiting, knowing that Tank would do as I'd asked, I ran as fast as I could to my truck, hoping I'd get there in time.


	3. Rescue

Disclaimer: I own no one except the person who gets arrested in this chapter and the one who got shot in the first. (In the last disclaimer, I said the guy who gets arrested here gets shot, and that was the plan, but I changed it. So...yeah, forget that.)

Chapter 3

The drive that normally takes about twenty minutes to get from my house to Stephanie's apartment took eight and a half. But, even though it was less than 50 percent of the time,it still felt like it took forever. By the time I'd sped through the fifth red light, I had three cop cars chasing me with their sirens blaring. I pulled in to Stephanie's apartment parking lot, and my truck was quickly surrounded by the cop cars. I rammed it into park, turned it off (I was parked across about four spots at once, but whatever), and leapt out.

I heard a command to 'Stop! Police!' (I was hearing that a lot tonight), as six cops leapt out of their cars, guns drawn. I didn't slow down, just pulling out my own gun and yelling back to them, "I don't have time." Then, deciding there were at least two advantages to bringing them with me (1. If I shot the bastard who was hurting Stephanie, they'd see that it was in defense of a third party 2. Back up), I added "Come with me."

I heard them following me at a run and, as I punched the up button on the elevator, then changed my mind and ran up the stairs, I wasn't sure whether they were coming because I'd told them to or because they were planning on arresting me. Really, I didn't care.

I still had my phone on and, pressing it to my ear as I ran down the hallway, I heard Stephanie whimper again. Deciding that wasting time picking the lock wasn't worth it, I reached her door and kicked in the door, entering with my gun drawn.

The man in the room turned at the sound of the door being kicked in, and he smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile, though, in fact, it made shivers run down my spine.

"Ah. I see I was incorrect. Apparently, Ranger _is_ coming. Now you can see him die." He aimed his gun at me, then suddenly, his eyes widened. Judging by the footsteps that I'd just heard, the six cops had all just run in. They all had their guns out and aimed at him within a second.

As though they'd practiced it (maybe they had), they all spoke, perfectly synchronized. "Freeze. Drop your weapon and put your hands on your head."

He was completely still for a moment. Then, he clearly realized that, if he shot a single bullet, he'd soon have seven in him. He tossed the gun to my feet and put his hands on his head. He looked down at Stephanie, who was curled in a ball at his feet, and spoke. "Looks like you got off easy this time, sweetheart."

I put the safety back on my gun and left the cops to deal with the man, running to Stephanie and dropping to me knees at her side. I gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched, and then her whole body started trembling. "It's ok, Babe. It's me." There was no response. Her eyes were squeezed shut. She was lying on one side, all curled up, so I couldn't see much, but I could see that she already had a black eye and a cut by her temple. The latter had bled, so that much of the right side of her face was covered in blood. "Come on, Babe. Open your eyes."

I was aware that some of the cops were watching me, while another one called over the radio for an ambulance. I didn't bother to mention that Tank had already called one. I focused completely on Stephanie.

Finally, her eyes opened, though one was swollen almost completely shut. I could tell she was in shock. She tried to sit up, and then let out a sound that was a mixture between a moan and a whimper. "Easy, Babe. Stay still. You're going to be ok."

She raised one hand, and grabbed my hand, the one not on her shoulder. "Ranger." She stopped trembling as she said my name, and her whole body relaxed slightly.

I looked behind me as I heard more people running in. There were a bunch of cops as well as some paramedics. The cops stood there, obviously confused, but the paramedics saw Stephanie right away and came over.

"You'll have to step back, sir." When the paramedics said this, I gave them a 'are you kidding?' look.

"I'm not leaving her." My determination must have shown on my face, because they just nodded.

They lifted her carefully onto a stretcher. Her hand tightened on mine and I just looked down at her bruised face, hoping she'd be ok. If she wasn't ok, I'd find the man who did this (I now noticed that he, and the cops who'd chased me due to my speeding, were gone) and kill him, even if the entire Trenton police department was watching me do it.

Just as the paramedics lifted the stretcher, Tank ran into the room. He'd have to have sped to get here this soon, but not as much as I had. He looked at Stephanie and, judging by the muscle jumping in his jaw, he loved the guy who'd done this about as much as I did.

"Is she ok?"

I shrugged. Stephanie, who'd closed her eyes, opened them again. "Tank?"

"Yeah, Bombshell."

Stephanie closed her eyes again and all of us except the cops (me, Tank, the paramedics, and Stephanie) left her apartment. The cops, I think, stayed to do the whole 'crime scene thing.'

After telling Tank to find some way to get my truck back home, I got into the ambulance with Stephanie.

The paramedics gave me an annoyed look, presumably for just getting in without talking to them, but I glared at them and they just nodded. The entire ride over, I watched Stephanie breathing, as though she'd stop if I didn't watch her.

At one point, the ambulance hit a bump and Stephanie drew in a sharp breath then let it out in a small groan. I looked at the paramedic who was in the back with me. "It hurts her to breath." This I'd guessed from the groan, but I wasn't totally sure.

The paramedic gave me an annoyed 'thank you, Captain Obvious' look, then apparently saw something in my face that changed her mind. Her face softened and she rested a gentle hand on my arm. "She'll be fine, sir."

She could reassure me all she wanted, but I wouldn't believe it until Stephanie was recovered enough to look at me and talk to me. Maybe not even then.

I held her hand (Stephanie's, not the paramedic's) until we got into the hospital and I was informed that I needed to let go. Nodding, I dropped her hand. She opened her eyes barely and made a sound of dissatisfaction, but couldn't protest much more than that. "I'll see you in a bit, Babe."

She gave a nod, but it was tiny. Then her gurney was wheeled away and I sank into a chair, putting my head in my hands and taking a few deep breaths. I have just decided that waiting officially sucks.


	4. Batman's Crying!

Disclaimer: I own no one but the unnamed guy who gets shot in the first chapter and the one who got arrested last one. And the various cops, paramedics, and screaming mobs which appear throughout the last few chapters.

I apologize in advance if everyone seems really emotional and OOC in the chapter. I just felt like making an emotional Ranger. And, obviously, sad Ranger must be comforted, so he just sort of pulled everyone along with him in his expedition into the world of emotions. Yeah…I'll shut up now.

tippex-groupie: In this chapter, Ranger is, as I said above, super emotional. Hopefully it's not too bad. I'm not planning on having him be so fluffy later on (though he shall be more fluffy than he is in the books, cause he's like…fluffless in the books.) (Btw, what does OTT mean? I got the basic message of your comment, but I don't know what that means.)

Also, I know that Stephanie's mom's name switches between Ellen and Helen, so I'm just going to say that her name is Ellen.

Chapter 4

I'd only been waiting a few minutes when Tank and Emily came in. Emily placed a hand on my back.

"She'll be ok, Ric." I could tell she was trying to comfort me (a good thing, because I was almost crying), but I wasn't feeling like being comforted.

I raised my head and glared at her. "Yeah? How do you know?" She must have seen the tears in my eyes, because she sat down in the chair next to me and hugged me. I can't remember the last time I've been hugged just for comfort. Probably, it's been years.

"You really love her, don't you?" I considered snapping at her again, but then I just nodded sadly. I looked in the direction of where Stephanie had been taken. The truth is, I should be used to her getting hurt, or at least, shouldn't react this strongly. But at the moment, I didn't feel like being logical.

I looked back towards the door as someone else came into the waiting room. As I did, I caught sight of Tank, looking utterly helpless. He'd once told me (the last time I got emotional, which was when Stiva took Stephanie) that trying to deal with an emotional woman was bad but dealing with me was impossible. I'd have laughed at the look on his face if I weren't so worried. Then I was distracted from that sight as Bobby and Lester ran over to me.

"Is she ok?" Both of them looked anxious, as is understandable.

I started to shrug and then Emily glared at me. She spoke. "Yes. She'll be fine. Lover boy is just worried." At the nickname, one which she's called me several times in reference to Stephanie, I returned the glare.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, and then Lester spoke. "So, do we know what's wrong with her yet? Tank said it was really bad."

At the memory of finding her, the tears came back, though I didn't let them fall. My anguish must have shown on my face, though, because everyone glared at Lester (except Lester himself, as I think that would be impossible).

"Nice work." That was Bobby.

Lester looked apologetic. "Sorry, Ric. I wasn't thinking."

Tank rolled his eyes. "Obviously."

Just then, the doors opened again and Stephanie's mom, dad, grandmother (shudder), sister, nieces, and Albert Kloughn, all ran in. They spotted our group and came over.

"Is she ok? What happened? All I heard was that she was in the hospital. Whoever called needs to work on their conversational skills." As Stephanie's mother said this, we all looked at Tank, who was grinning. It was a complaint he'd gotten many times.

As though on cue, the doctor came out. Her stride faltered for a moment. When she'd taken Stephanie, it had been only me. Now, there were twelve of us. She recovered, however, and had just reached us when the doors opened again. Connie and Lula burst in, saw us, and ran over. The doctor just stared, mouth open slightly. Probably, it was the sight of Lula, who was in all spandex: a hot pink animal print tube top and matching pants. Seconds later, as thought they'd come in the same car (I guess it was possible), Vinnie also ran in.

I looked at Tank. "How many people did you call? Everyone in Trenton?"

He shrugged, though he looked sort of embarrassed. "This is it. I just called the people who I thought should know." We looked at the doctor, who'd recovered from her Lula-induced speechlessness.

"Miss Plum has five broken ribs, a black eye, a concussion, and various lacerations. As far as we can tell, after several blows to the head, she fell to the ground. She was then kicked." She looked at me. "If you'd gotten there a minute later, she probably would have gotten kicked one more time. If that had happened, one of the broken ribs would have punctured a lung. It is very likely that she'd have died then."

"Is she ok now?" My voice had cracked while I asked the question, drawing everyone's attention from the doctor to me.

Connie and Lula stared me, and then looked at each other. Lula whispered (or attempted to. I think Lula may be incapable of whispering) "Batman's crying!" It wasn't exactly true, but it was close.

The doctor nodded. "We have her on pain medicine, so she may not be entirely lucid, but you can visit her if you want." Looking at the size of our group, she added. "Only two at a time, however." She returned her attention to me. "Are you Ranger?" At my nod, she continued. "She specifically asked to see you."

I almost got out of my chair, then looked at her family and shook my head. "She didn't know her family was here. They should see her first."

Surprisingly, her dad shook his head. "You and Ellen go in. We can wait."

I hesitated a moment, then nodded, standing up and smiling at him. "Thank you."

When I smiled, Lula, Connie, and Valerie all let out little sighs. Albert Kloughn looked confused. Tank, Bobby, Lester, and Emily all looked highly amused.

Ignoring all of them, I followed the doctor. We (we being me, the doctor, and Ellen) reached Stephanie's room and the doctor opened the door, checked on Stephanie and then told us we could go in. We did so, and then she left.

Ellen walked to Stephanie's bed and I stood by the door, looking at Stephanie. Seeing her, even though she had a bunch of machines hooked up to her, relaxed the hysteria I'd been feeling before and, though I was still worried about Stephanie, I was no longer at risk of crumpling to the floor and sobbing. Ellen carefully smoothed Stephanie's hair back from her face. Stephanie opened her eyes and looked up at her mother. She smiled weakly.

"Hi mom." Then a look of confusion crossed her face and she looked around the room. Apparently, I was in the shadows, and thus invisible, because she looked up at her mom. "Where's Ranger? I asked for him." Seeming to realize how that sounded, she smiled. "Not that I'm not happy to see you."

I stepped forward and walked towards her. "Right here, Babe."

Her smile grew a little stronger. I was vaguely aware of Ellen stepping back, but I was focused on Stephanie. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I can't really feel any part of my body, thanks to the amounts of drugs I have in me."

Not moving any part of me except my leg, I hooked a chair with my foot and dragged it over, sitting down in it. Stephanie was silent for a moment and then started cracking up.

I raised an eyebrow, once she'd calmed down. "Clearly, those drugs are working _very_ well."

She started laughing again, and then calmed down. "You didn't even look at it. I just got this picture in my head of you dragging it over but somehow not putting it quite where you wanted, and then missing it when you sat down and falling over." She started laughing again at the end, so it was hard to understand the words. The basic point, however, was conveyed.

I shook my head, a small smile on my face. "It wasn't that funny, Babe."

She had stopped laughing, but she was now grinning. "Yeah, it really was."

I just shook my head again then remembered her mother and, by extension, the rest of our huge group. "I have to go, the others will want to see you. I'm glad you're ok."

Stephanie frowned, then nodded. "You'll come back though, right?"

I nodded, then got up. I turned to Ellen, who was beaming, and went to the door. I held it open for Ellen, then followed her out. As we walked down the hall to the waiting room, Ellen spoke.

"I'm surprised she can laugh after that kind of experience." I didn't respond. "I have to admit, I've never really liked you. But, now that I see that you love each other, my opinion has changed."

I started to protest, then stopped. What could I say? Yes, I love her completely, but last time we had sex I treated her like a prostitute, so we don't actually have a relationship? No, I don't love her? (That would be a lie, and I wasn't too excited about lying to Stephanie's mom.) Luckily, I didn't have to say anything, because we'd reached the waiting room, where we were instantly bombarded by thirteen people asking if she was ok. By the time we'd assured them that she was, and Frank and Valerie left to see her, I was safe from needing to respond to Ellen.

It took about an hour before everyone had visited her, and by the time Connie and Lula came back, Stephanie was asleep. The doctors came and told us we might as well leave because she wouldn't wake up for the rest of the night.

Most people agreed, but Ellen shook her head. "We can't all leave her. She shouldn't wake up alone."

I stood. "I'm going to stay with her. You can too if you want, but if you don't, she's not going to wake up alone."

Ellen hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. We should all get some sleep then."

I went to Stephanie's room and the rest of them left. I reached the door, glanced in the little window and then, seeing no one, pushed it open and went in. Stephanie was sleeping, so I just sat down in the chair and watched her. I stayed awake for about an hour, and then I decided that I might as well sleep. I knew that I'd wake up if she did.

Closing my eyes, I leaned back against the chair (seriously, can't they get more comfortable chairs in here?) and was quickly asleep.

A/N: Ok, so I hope that you haven't all decided to hate me because of how emotional Ranger gets in this chapter. I just randomly decided to write it this way, so…yeah. But, as I said at the top, he'll be more in character later (though he won't be totally quiet and unemotional. Cause, remember, he's decided he wants to have a relationship with her, so he's not going to stay totally aloof.) Please review.

Also, as far as medical stuff goes; I know people aren't allowed to sleep when they have a concussion, but I don't know how long the no-sleeping period lasts. So...sorry if Stephanie starts sleeping sooner than she's actually allowed to.


	5. Women are so predictable

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except the nurses and the doctor.

Another little medical note: As said last chapter, I know pretty much nothing about medical-ness. So, I don't know how long it would take before Stephanie would be allowed to leave the hospital, but, since I don't want to just sit around for five days, I'm releasing her right away. So…yeah. Also, I don't remember what those little counter things are where you sign people in, but I think it's a nurse's station, so that's what I'm calling it. Sorry to any nurses, doctors, and what have you out there who are horrified at my ignorance.

Thanks to my reviewers. Mufassa-Thanks for the great review and for adding me to your favorite authors list. It makes me feel very loved :)

Chapter 5

Around midnight, Stephanie woke up. She reached out one hand and brushed my knee, which woke me up abruptly. "Ranger?" Her voice was soft and it was pretty obvious that she wasn't all the way awake.

I leaned forward. "What's wrong, Babe? Do you need more pain meds?"

It was very dark, but I was able to make out that she shook her head. "Just checking."

Having checked whatever she was checking for, she promptly fell back asleep. I watched her for a while longer, thinking. Had she just been checking to see if I was there? If so, why? My eyes had adjusted by now and I could see her features more easily. She'd been cleaned up, so her face no longer had blood all over it, but the bruise over her eye still looked really bad. Anger boiled up in me again. I reminded myself that the man who'd done this had been arrested, but it didn't help much.

Since I was now totally awake, I leaned forward, resting my forearms on my legs, and watched her sleep, like I broke into her apartment so often to do. I don't know why it was so soothing, but somehow, it was. Maybe I should ask Tank if he likes watching Emily sleep, or if I'm just weird. As soon as I thought that, though, I changed my mind. Why was he suddenly my source of all relational info? I'd been married once before. Of course, it had only been because my ex-wife came and told me she was pregnant and so I didn't really have a choice.

I wondered absently what would happen if I got Stephanie pregnant. Probably, she'd have to marry me. For a second, I imagined seducing her and accidentally-on purpose not using protection. But only for a second, because the next second I was disgusted with myself. Not only was that manipulative, I wanted her to love me, not feel forced into a marriage she didn't want.

I sighed and sat back in the chair again, forcing myself to sleep. Just as I drifted off, I decided that I would need to talk to Tank, after all. I had no experience in this whole 'marrying people that you love' thing.

When I woke up, it was because a nurse cleared her throat. I opened my eyes and discovered, based on the amount of light that blinded me momentarily, that it was morning. Stephanie, with the aid of a bunch of pillows, was sitting up.

I smiled at Stephanie, ignoring for the moment the nurse. "Feeling better, Babe?"

She returned the smile. "Yup."

The nurse spoke to Stephanie now. "I need to change your bandages, so your uh—" She looked at my left hand and it didn't take ESP to figure out that she was trying to figure out how I was related to Stephanie.

"I'm not her husband." Not yet, anyway. I smiled at Stephanie, standing up and ignoring the stiff muscles that protested. I brushed a light kiss on her lips and then pulled back. "I'm going to see how soon I can get you out. I'll be back in a bit."

I walked out and, just before the door closed, I heard the nurse ask, "Is he single?" with definite longing in her voice. I shook my head, my feelings a mix between amusement and exasperation, and then went to the nurse's station.

"How soon is Stephanie Plum allowed to leave?"

The nurse looked up from her computer. "She's going to get checked over one last time, but probably she can leave today."

I nodded. "Thank you."

I returned to Stephanie's room and got there just as the nurse was leaving. "Can I go in?"

The nurse nodded, then looked at me curiously. "So, what are you? She said co-worker, but it seems like there must be more."

I raised an eyebrow. I definitely couldn't see how that was any of her business. Knowing it would stop her from asking any other questions, and because I was bored and had nothing better to do (pathetic, I know), I flashed her a smile and said, in a confiding voice, "I'm her sex slave."

Then, I turned to the door, opened it, and went in, but not before I'd heard her quick intake of breath and say her eyes darken. Women are so predictable.

Stephanie looked up at me as I came in. "Did Tank actually describe you as 'that bounty hunter with the great package'?" Ok…not the greeting I was expecting. Scratch that comment about women being predictable.

"Uh, Babe?" I sat down in the chair I'd moved to her bedside last night.

"Last night, when Grandma Mazur came in, she asked for all the details because all she'd heard was that I was hurt and 'that bounty hunter with the great package' had brought me to the hospital. So I was wondering if Tank actually said that, or if she was coming up with that on her own."

I grinned. "I'll give you two guesses which one it is."

She laughed. "I thought it was her, but you never can be sure."

"Do you think Tank would actually ever say that?" She shook her head. I remembered why I'd been kicked out of the room and I frowned. "What bandages needed to get changed?"

"Some of the kicks broke the skin and so I had a few cuts on my side."

I frowned. "What exactly happened last night?" I knew now would be a good time to find out since, judging by her question about Tank, she was still on a lot of drugs and, thus, probably wouldn't get too freaked out recalling last night.

"I got home and went into my apartment and then someone grabbed me as soon as I'd closed and locked the door. It was one of my old skips and apparently, he was intent on revenge for me sending him to jail. He told me that no one would be able to hear me, because all my neighbors were either deaf or gone. Clearly, he was right. Anyway, for whatever reason, he hadn't cuffed me or anything, though he did take away my purse. My cell phone was in my back pocket, so I used it to call you."

I raised an eyebrow. "You can call me without looking?"

She shrugged. "You're speed dial one. It's not that hard. So, I called you, but then he punched me, and I dropped the phone. It went under my bed and I wasn't sure I'd gotten through. But I started calling your name in case I had called." Despite the drugs, I could see that she was going to start crying, so I leaned forward and took her hand, not really sure how else to offer comfort. She gave me a small smile and then continued. "Eventually, he hit me so hard that I fell down and then he started kicking me in the ribs and the back, over and over. I'm not sure how long it was, but after a while I just stopped feeling anything except pain. Like, I couldn't feel the individual kicks, I just knew that my body was hurting. And then he stopped kicking me and you put your hand on my shoulder and then the paramedics brought me here."

She had tears on her face and I reached out and carefully wiped them away, careful to avoid the cuts and bruises on her face. I was trying to figure out what to say when the doctor came in.

"You can go now, if you just sign out."

I stood. "I'll sign her out." I left the room and went to the nurse's station. I quickly did all the paperwork and, by the time I was done, Stephanie was dressed in some clothes that her mom had dropped off; a loose shirt and some sweatpants.

The doctor gave me a bottle of pain medicine for her and explained that she needed to take one pill every 6-8 hours.

Because most of her wounds were from the waist up, Stephanie could walk, so I led her out to my truck, which Tank had dropped off at the hospital last night. Once I had her settled in, I got in on my side and turned on the car.

"So, where are we going?" I could see that Stephanie didn't want to go back to her apartment.

"My place."

She looked over at me. "You're apartment?"

"No." I grinned. "The Batcave."

A/N: Ok…so. About the whole Ranger saying he was Stephanie's sex slave, I really have no clue why I put it in, it just seemed amusing at the time. So…yeah. Please review.


	6. Lester's Suggestion

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Thanks to all my reviewers:) It makes me feel very loved. Bobthedog and CSG4ME, I'm glad you guys liked the sex slave line. I almost took it out because it may have been received badly, but I kept it in cause I thought it was awesome. I guess. So…yeah. :) Thanks for the reviews, everyone.

Ally: Maybe I'd reply to your reviews more often if you'd send me 'the crap' as you so succinctly termed it. –glare- And I have a secret for you, I haven't a clue what avt means. So…stop being lazy! Just type it out ;) And btw, is spaz supposed to be a compliment? Speaking of pain meds, the little Kyle, Nicole, Eric interaction is awesome, no? (And if you ask me how pain meds and that scene are related, I may have to beat you with a spoon)

Chapter 6

Stephanie stared at me and, for once, seemed speechless. We were halfway to 'the Batcave' by the time she spoke.

"So…You said the Batcave is forever." She was silent for a while, and I didn't respond. I could sense a question in that statement, but I wasn't going to attempt to reply to it until she asked it.

"So…well?" You've got to be impressed with the woman's conversational skills. They rival Tank's, really.

"Uh, Babe?" You ask a sucky question, you get a sucky answer. If she wanted a better answer, she was going to have to be a bit more verbal. Turning up a road, I came in sight of a large set of gates. I pulled out my cell phone and called Tank. "Let me in." Then I hung up. Of course, based on that phone call, I guess I couldn't really criticize anyone else's eloquence, or lack thereof.

Just as I pulled up to the gates, they opened, and I drove through. The road went between some trees and then around a corner. I heard Stephanie's gasp, but I kept going. My house was, as I've said before, huge. It had two floors, three if you count the basement. The basement housed a gym, a control center, and a parking garage (which I went down a ramp to right now). I parked and, followed by a speechless Stephanie, walked to the elevator, going to the second floor. The doors opened and I stepped out. The doors started closing and I put my hand back to stop them.

"Babe?" Stephanie looked at me, then stepped out of the elevator. We were in a long hall. I walked down it, pointing as I went. "There's a bathroom through that door. That door is my bedroom." I pointed to a door right across from my bedroom. "That's where you'll be staying." I opened the door and stepped in. "There's a closet over there and a bathroom through that door over there." I turned to Stephanie.

She looked at me, then over at the closet. "I don't have any clothes."

I shook my head. "I had Tank go pack a bunch of clothes for you. There are two big bags in the closet with your clothes."

Stephanie nodded, then she blushed. "Wait! Tank dug through all my clothes?"

"Babe." I grinned. "I'm sure he didn't care. He's married, so if he's not used to seeing women's clothes by now, something is wrong."

She glared at me. "I don't care about him. _I_ care! I don't want someone looking at all my underwear and—" She stopped. "Wait, Tank's married!"

I nodded. "To Emily. You didn't see her last night, but she was in the waiting room. She didn't go into your room because you don't actually know her." I'd almost said that Emily didn't know Stephanie, but after living with three men who _did_ know Stephanie (and one who was in love with her) Emily had heard enough stories that she might as well know Stephanie. "We're over the central living area. On the ground floor, there is a big living room and a kitchen. Emily and Tank live in a wing that goes off this area. Their wing has a bunch of bedrooms, a smaller kitchen, and a smaller living room. Bobby and Lester live in another wing that's basically the same. We all use the big kitchen and living room, though, otherwise this house feels way too big."

Stephanie just stared at me. "Babe?" Finally, she snapped out of her silence and returned to our earlier discussion (if you can call 11 words, only 2 of which were from me, a discussion). "So, why did you bring me to the Batcave?"

I shrugged. "You need to recover and this is a safe place to do that."

"But what about the whole, Batcave is forever, thing?"

I didn't really have any idea how to respond, so I just shrugged. "If you want to sleep a little, that's fine. Dinner is at six." It was five right now.

Stephanie looked like she was wavering between wanting to ask me more questions and wanting to sleep. I could see she was really tired. "Go to sleep, Babe. If you need anything, there's an intercom system." I showed her how to work the intercom, then I went down to the living room.

As I'd pretty much expected, my other housemates were all there. They all looked at me as the elevator opened and I stepped out, but Lester was the first to speak.

"So, Tank has filled us in on your whole 'woo the Bombshell' plan. Or rather, the fact that you don't have one. I don't really see what the problem is. You have her in your house; just refuse to let her leave until she marries you, or something." I raised an eyebrow. "Ok, I guess that's not a great plan, either. I don't know."

I looked at Tank. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"You could just go with the obvious solution and tell her you love her then propose."

"So glad I consulted you. You've given me insight I'd never have gained on my own." Now I looked at Bobby. "K, you're my last chance. Bobby, do you have any good ideas?"

Emily spoke up now, sounding sort of annoyed. "What do you mean Bobby is your last chance? What about me?"

I shook my head. "If your suggestions are anything like your last one, I don't even want to hear it."

She glared at me. "My suggestion would work."

"Yeah, if I ever did it, which I have no intention of doing."

Lester interrupted whatever Emily had been about to say. "What I think is that we're approaching this from much too much of a 'Ric does everything' viewpoint. Judging from history, Ric is emotionally inept." They all knew about my previous idiotic actions, such as the debt and then sending her back to Morelli. Lester ignored my glare, as I'd known he would. "If we wait for Ric to propose, it won't ever happen."

Now it was Bobby who cut in. "So what, we should do it for him? 'Hi, Stephanie. Will you marry Ric? He is emotionally inept and isn't ever going to do this for himself, so will you marry him and make him stop sulking, please?' That'll work brilliantly."

I glared at Bobby. "What are you talking about? I don't sulk."

Tank rolled his eyes. "Right, you're just staring out the window for hours at a time because you like watching the flying pigs."

Fine, it was true. But I'd only sulked for more than an hour at a time after I sent Stephanie back to Morelli and then another time when she went home with Morelli after the Slayer incident.

Lester started speaking again. "Anyway, as I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted, we should help Ric. Obviously, we won't propose for him." He glared at Bobby. "But we could help the process along a bit. For example, tonight, during dinner, we could casually drop into the conversation points that illustrate what a great catch Ric is. Then, after dinner, Emily can ask to talk to her and do the whole 'girl talk' thing. Then, Emily, you get her to admit that she loves Ric. Ric, you'll be waiting out of sight but within ear shot and then you can jump in and say something like 'well then, since you love me, and I love you, marry me!' See? I'm brilliant!"

We all just stared at him for a bit and then I spoke. "So, let me get this straight. You're plan is to tack complimentary comments about me on to various sentences, such as 'Will you pass the pepper, and isn't Ranger looking super sexy tonight?' and then, after dinner, I'm supposed to ambush her?"

Lester was pensive for a moment then frowned. "Hmm. Well, it sounded better in my head. I think it's a good plan, though, and you are just saying it in a very negative way. I think it would work. Definitely better than anything you've done so far. Besides, maybe we could mumble the complimentary things. And then, consciously, Stephanie wouldn't know what we said, but her subconscious mind would pick it up and by the end of the night, _she'll_ ask Ric to marry her!" When none of us responded with more than a skeptical 'are you _trying_ to be stupid?' look, he sighed. "Fine, whatever! But when we're all eighty years old and Ric is still moping over Stephanie, no one can blame me!"

Emily got up. "Alright, I need to go check on dinner." She left and came back moments later. "Ok, it's done. Someone go wake up Stephanie."

I got up and went to the elevator, going upstairs and into Stephanie's room. I gently touched her shoulder. "Wake up, Babe." She didn't. I shook her gently. She stirred slightly, then slowly opened her eyes and looked up at me. "Time for dinner, Babe."

She nodded and sat up. She got out of bed and yawned. She winced and looked at me. "I want some more pain medicine."

I nodded and quickly got a glass of water and the pills. She swallowed it and then followed me to the elevator. We were both silent, her because she was tired, me because I didn't really have anything to say. I led her into the dining room and we all sat down, Emily next to Tank, across from me and Stephanie, and Lester and Bobby at either end.

We ate in silence for a bit and then Lester spoke up. Clearly, he had decided to go along with his plan despite the fact that it was idiotic. "Can I have the salt please? Ranger, you're looking very handsome tonight."

We all stilled. Stephanie looked confused, and the rest of us glared at Lester while Emily handed him the salt. By the third comment (the other two were 'Pepper please. Isn't it fantastic that Ranger is financially solvent so that if he ever gets married, his spouse won't need to worry about anything?' and, as he got up to get himself a glass of water, "Anyone else want water? I'm sure Ranger does, seeing as how he's obviously very hot.') Stephanie was looking at Lester like he was insane and the rest of us had discovered that Lester was about as subtle as a flying brick. As we cleared the table, Lester looked over at Emily and gave her a wink. Emily responded by giving him a 'stop being idiotic' look.

Lester gave a sigh and threw his hands up in the air in defeat. Then he walked out of the room, but not before muttering, "Hopeless. The whole thing is hopeless."

If he kept trying to help, it definitely would be.


	7. I can't think of a good chapter title

Disclaimer: Haha! I just realized I own Emily. And Tank's unborn children. Hmm…maybe I can use them to threaten Tank and make him kidnap Ranger and give him to me… Oh crap, I just remembered Ranger isn't real. Sad day. Anyway, I own no one except Tank's family.

Sorry that I didn't post yesterday, I spent about 2 minutes on the computer. (I actually did my homework last night! Gasp! I did it _at school_ today however, so I can post:)) And sorry that this is being posted so late, I had to babysit. (If it makes you feel any better, I'm writing this instead of doing my Bio homework.)

Thanks to all my reviewers. I know this seems like a lame thanks and probably, because of that, doesn't seem very real, but it is. I love feedback. So, thanks very much:)

rinskigoddess-I had thought about the fact that the cops would probably do something, but that would sort of ruin the scene. Super lame excuse, but there you go.

And btw, I know it's ooc for Lester to say the whole 'Ranger's super sexy' stuff, but I found it amusing and thus, I put it in. Mauhaha! I have power over my own story!

Chapter 7

The rest of the night passed much like dinner had; with Lester making idiotic comments and the rest of us embarrassed into silence, with Stephanie giving Lester strange looks. At one point ("I'm tired, and I bet Stephanie and Ranger will be wanting to go to bed as well, although not necessarily because they are tired, so let's break up this conversation.") Stephanie gave Lester a strange look but then looked at me as though she was actually considering it. When I raised an eyebrow and she realized she'd been caught, she blushed and quickly looked away, causing all of us, except Stephanie, to grin.

Lester's last comment had, however, had the desired effect, causing us to all go up to bed. As I stood in the elevator with Stephanie, waiting as it rose, she looked over at me.

"What was up with Lester?"

I grinned, trying to think of anything that could be used to explain Lester's actions without telling the truth. Finally, I shrugged. "He's just weird, I guess." Judging by the look Stephanie gave me, she didn't buy it, but we'd reached her door, so I opened it and, ushering her in, began speaking again. "I'll be right across the hall if you need anything. I'm leaving this here so that I can come over if something happens." I held up a baby monitor, then set it on her bedside table.

I remembered what Tank had said when I'd told him to buy it today on his way home. "Ric, you're pathetic. Either let her take care of herself or sleep with her. This is just ridiculous." I'd glared at him and not responded and, luckily, he'd bought it and given it to me without further comment.

Now, I thought about it. Really, I guess it was sort of pathetic. Using a baby monitor for a grown woman? Why _not_ just sleep with her? As soon as I'd asked myself the second question, I knew the answer: because I didn't want her to think I was interested only in sex.

Stephanie was speaking, so I quickly focused on what she was saying. "What do you think will happen? I mean, isn't the Batcave safe?"

I nodded. "From physical danger, yes. But I meant more along the lines of you getting scared, or having a night mare or some such thing."

She looked surprised, but then she nodded. "Thanks." She was still looking at me like she was trying to figure out why I'd suddenly started to care about night mares. Since I didn't plan on informing her that this wasn't a sudden thing and had in fact been going on for a long time, I just leaned towards her and brushed a kiss across her lips.

"Night, Babe." I walked towards the door and, just before I closed it behind me, I heard her voice. "Night, Ranger."

I was smiling as I went into my room. Once I was under the covers, wearing only black silk boxers, I started thinking about Stephanie. Ok, so I'd actually been thinking about her most of the day. But now I started thinking about how to get her to marry me. Despite the fact that I had her in my house, I was no closer to a serious commitment than I'd been when I found her in my apartment during the Slayer incident.

So far, none of the suggestions I'd gotten had helped. Tank's was worthless because it was common sense (I'd never have guessed that, in order to get her to marry me, I should tell her I love her and ask her to marry me! Thank goodness for Tank), Lester's was worthless because it was just plain stupid, and Emily's was worthless because there was no way I was going to get a dozen roses, go to a public place, and then completely throw away any vestige of pride I still had after having my panic attack in the hospital. And, having discarded everyone's suggestions, I was now right back where I'd started. Namely, nowhere.

I was distracted from my uninspiring train of thought as I noticed that Stephanie's breathing, coming through the baby monitor, had changed. I listened carefully and confirmed my suspicions. Her breath hitched and then was released in a quavering sob. She was crying.

I jumped out of bed and went to my door. I opened it, strode across the hall, and had just reached Stephanie's door when it flew open (I was glad that the doors opened inwards), and Stephanie ran out, straight into me. I caught her in my arms, holding her against my chest.

"Babe? What's wrong?" I kissed the top of her head.

"Nothing, I just had a bad dream."

Yeah. Nothing, my butt. Nothing wasn't what sent her fleeing her room as though it was haunted. "I could take your mind off nothing." I was joking of course, and I was pretty sure she knew it. Even if I was, as Lester said, 'emotionally inept', I was still sensitive enough to know that now was not the time for sex.

Not giving her a chance to reply to my fake offer, I turned towards my door. Guiding her towards it, I tried to think of what to say. No wonder she didn't want a relationship with me, I _was_ emotionally inept. I was pretty sure that if I just held her, she'd calm down, but I couldn't think of a way to offer that without sounding like I was asking for sex.

As I steered her towards my bed, I finally decided that, even if it wasn't brilliant, I had to say _something_, or else I'd look like I was trying to seduce her. "You can sleep with me if you want. And I mean that completely literally."

She sort of smiled, and I heard her say quietly, "Too bad." However, I could tell it was a thinking out loud thing, not something meant for me to hear. The next time she spoke, however, it was meant for me. "Thanks."

I just nodded and got in bed. She hesitated and then got in. I was just about to pull her close, debating the likeliness of her pulling away, when she snuggled up against me. As far as I can remember, she's only done that three times, in bed anyway. The first was after I collected on her debt. The second was by accident, during the Slayer incident, when she thought I was Morelli. This was the third. Of course, she'd done this before, such as when I kiss her, but this was different. Because this was just cuddling, nothing sexual about it. And it was nice. Holding her in my arms, she quickly fell asleep and, with a small smile on my face that I couldn't get rid of, I soon followed suit.

The next morning, when I woke up, Stephanie was asleep. I smiled and tightened my arms around her waist a little bit. Hopefully not enough to wake her up, just enough so that she was pressed more firmly against me. Without my permission, a little contented sigh slipped out of me. To my surprise, Stephanie echoed the sentiment.

Seconds after she'd sighed, she opened her eyes and looked at me. If tradition kept, she would now realize I was me, not Morelli, get guilty, and pull away. Instead, however, she just smiled at me and then yawned.

"So, what happened last night?"

She looked like she might not answer, then she did. "That skip who beat me up was back, but you didn't come this time, so he just kept hurting me."

I could see the remembered fear and hurt in her eyes, so I gave her a little smile and tried to lighten the mood. "So you decided to come and get in bed with me?"

She smiled back. "It seemed like the thing to do at the time."

I kissed her lightly on the lips and then got out of bed. "Time to get up, Babe. I have to go catch some skips."

She frowned, but reluctantly sat up. I went to my closet and grabbed a pair of cargo pants (can you guess what color?), tossing them onto my bed.

Stephanie looked at them and then suddenly seemed to realize what my clothing selection implied. "Oh! He's going to get dressed!" This was said in a tone that told me that she was just thinking aloud, but I still decided to respond.

Grinning, I turned to her and spread my arms. "What? You thought I was going to go try to catch skips like this?"

She looked me up and down and, her eyes a lot darker than they'd been a little while ago, she murmured, again in the 'thinking aloud' voice, "It would certainly be effective for any female skips."

I raised an eyebrow. "Babe."

She blushed and jumped out of bed, quickly vacating the room. I chuckled, then got dressed.

After a quick breakfast, during which Stephanie looked distastefully at my food and muttered something that sounded like 'that man wouldn't know a good meal if it bit him in the butt', I was off to, as Stephanie accidentally said while I was walking out 'save the world.'

My apprehensions went more smoothly than normal, meaning only two shots were fired at me, none of which hit. I was just pulling in front of my sixth skip's house when my phone rang. Putting the truck into park, I glanced at the display, saw that it was Tank, and then answered.

"Yo."

"You probably want to get back here. Stephanie is snooping around in your room. How well did you hide the ring?"

I swore and, putting the truck into drive, peeled away from the curb. "Not that well. Stall her if you can." Not that anyone can stall Stephanie when she's intent on snooping, of course. I hung up and divided my attention between driving and thinking about the ring Tank had mentioned.

Directly after the Stiva incident, I'd bought an engagement ring. Of course, I'd never given it to her, and it was currently in a drawer in my bedside table. If I'd been thinking about it more, I'd have moved it to a better spot when Stephanie moved in. Unfortunately, it was too late, so I could just hope that Stephanie didn't find it, or else I'd be in an awkward situation.

I parked and, not wanting to wait for the elevator, which wasn't very fast, I started running up the stairs. I ran to my door and threw it open, striding into the room.

Stephanie had turned as the door banged against the wall and I saw that I was just in time. In her hands was the jewelry box, clearly about to be opened. I plucked it from her hands and put it in my pocket, gave her a smile, and then turned to leave.

"Wait! What is that?" She was walking with me as I walked out of the room.

"None of your business." Not yet anyway. Not until I figure out how to give it to you without looking like a moron. I pushed the elevator's down button and, when the elevator arrived, I walked in, Stephanie shadowing my moves.

"This is so annoying. You're always shutting me out of everything. Why don't you ever tell me anything?" A glance confirmed that Stephanie was annoyed, bordering on angry.

"Because it's not important." Ok, so I lied. Sue me.

She narrowed her eyes. "If it—" she was cut off by that annoying 'ding' sound that elevators make when they reach their destination. She continued again as the door opened and we stepped out. "If it's important enough that you came back here in the middle of saving the world, I'd say it's important."

Tank looked up at us. Actually, Tank, Lester, Bobby, and Emily all looked at us, since they were 'coincidentally' all sitting in the living room. Tank, however, was the one to speak. "So, did you get it? Or did she find it?"

"I got it." I looked over at Stephanie, who had gotten more annoyed by mine and Tank's exchange.

My attention was quickly diverted, however, because Emily spoke. "If you're looking for a good moment, now is probably it. There's plenty of us here to ruin your reputation in front of."

It took me a second to realize she was suggesting I should use her suggestion right now. Before I could do or say anything, Bobby jumped in. "Or, we could go with Lester's idea." When I was silent too long (apparently half a second is too long), Bobby nodded. He stepped towards Stephanie, getting down on one knee and taking her hand. She was staring at him with a mixture of confusion and the kind of expression reserved for the insane. Bobby, with a completely straight face, began to speak. "Stephanie, will you—"

With a sound suspiciously close to a growl, I pulled Bobby up off the ground, turned him, and shoved him so hard that I practically threw him across the room. As I did so, I cut off what he was saying. "Will you all please _shut up_!"

I ran a hand across my face and then, seeing that everyone was staring at me, I threw my hands in the air. "Fine!" I turned to Stephanie and, as per Emily's instructions, knelt before her. I took her hand, just as Bobby had done moments ago. "Stephanie, I love you." Her mouth dropped open and she stared at me. "Completely. Anything I've ever said to make you think otherwise was simply idiocy on my part. I've done a lot of idiotic things since I met you, and I'm sorry for them. I'm sorry I left after collecting my debt, I'm sorry for even setting up the debt, I'm sorry for shutting you out, I'm sorry for saying things that made you think I didn't love you, and I'm sorry for anything else that I've done that annoyed you." By now, her mouth had closed and a hopeful smile was spreading across her face. "I am sorry for any pain my idiocy has caused you, and I'll try to make up for it for the rest of my life. Stephanie, will you marry me?" With this last sentence, I reached into my pocket, pulled out the box she'd been holding minutes before, and opened it.

Stephanie, tears in her eyes (I was pretty sure they were tears of happiness), nodded. "Yes, Ranger. I love you so much."

I put the ring on her finger and stood, pulling her to me and kissing her. It was, as Emily had instructed, not an 'I want to take you against the wall now, and I don't care who's watching' kind of kiss. It was soft and loving. I pulled back and smiled at Stephanie then, deciding any bad-ass reputation I'd had with these guys (doubtful, since they lived with me) had just been destroyed and thus, I might as well go all the way, I swung Stephanie into my arms, walked to the elevator, pushed the button and, once the door opened, carried her in.

As the door closed behind me, I could hear Emily let out a little sigh and then speak. "Told you."

I could hear Tank chuckle and then he too spoke. "Technically, you told me he'd use roses. He didn't give Stephanie any roses."

The door closed and Stephanie, her arms around my neck, looked up at me with mock sadness. "I should have held out for the roses."

I grinned. "Babe."

A/N: Ok, sorry for the super late post. And also, sorry for the not so great ending. I had a much better one in my head and now it has fled. So…yeah. Anyway, please review


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